Microphones are used in today's society for sound reinforcement in a number of different venues for a number of different purposes. In the past, microphones may have been limited to specific situations where a public address system or a musical performance required sound reinforcement. As microphones and sound reinforcement system have become more inexpensive and more innovative, a wider variety of situations may also benefit from sound amplification and reinforcement. As such, microphones are more and more prevalent at non-traditional locations and venues.
One venue in particular that has benefited from the increased functionality and ease of microphone use is facilities for religious services, such as churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and the like. Microphones are able to be placed at strategic locations, often hidden from view, that enhance the ability for all to hear specific individuals when speaking or singing. For example, a lavaliere microphone is able to be placed on the clothing of an individual such that everything that the individual says is picked up by the microphone and amplified through an associated sound reinforcement system. While lavaliere microphones are small and suitable for a dedicated individual to use, others may not easily use this microphone as it is typically difficult to easily pass the microphone from person to person. Thus, sometimes microphones are installed and fixed to a specific location, such as a pulpit or choir area.
As is the case with most microphones, an “on/off” switch may be provided such that the microphone may be turned on and off. When off, no sound waves are amplified and these sound waves are not converted to electrical signals. However, when on, the microphone functions as normal and converts all sound waves at the microphone into electrical signals. Some microphones employ a mute circuit which interrupts the flow of the electrical signal generated by the microphone to the rest of the sound reinforcement system. However, a typical “on/off” switch or mute switch, when actuated, causes a “pop” in the sound reinforcement system. That is, the electrical equivalent of switching the circuit on or off is a sharp and poignant transient response that is audible in the sound reinforcement system as a loud popping sound.
In one conventional example, a microphone system made by the Ivie Corporation (IM-10), a mute switch is implemented in the form of a magnetic reed switch. In this example, the magnetic switch is able to detect the proximity of a metal rotating door. The mute function of the Ivie IM-10 is achieved with a magnetic reed switch that is activated in the presents of a magnetic field. This field is achieved by attaching a rare-earth magnet to the rotating door of the microphone apparatus so that the field is present when the door is in the closed position and is absent when the door is in the open position. Thus, when the door is closed, the microphone circuit is muted, but when the door is open (i.e., the metal door is no longer in proximity to the magnetic switch) the microphone circuit is on and functioning. However, the nature of the magnetic switch allows an audible disturbance to be created in the electronic circuit. As a result, the mute circuit for the fixed location microphone apparatus causes unwanted electrical signals that are audible and undesirable in the sound reinforcement system.